Techinspector Have you seen a 12ft Leblond lathe?

I've got a flat bed picking up a 1930's leblond metal lathe.
I've been talking to this buddy of mine for a couple years
about it. He used to have his own company using it to
rebuild water pumps mastercylinders and things like that.
Well he told me the other day it was my last chance since
someone else was interested in purchasing it.
Not a good time for me since I just under went surgery
last week to have a bag installed.
But I didn't want to miss my chance and it was a good price
with all the tooling and has a new motor for 8 hundred.
Can you recomend any good training books for it. Kurt

Wow Kurt, I wouldn't know where to begin. I was taught 50 years ago by my dad and the Shop teacher at high school.

Here's a book written by LeBlond, might be a good place to start. Not the size lathe you have in mind, but I suspect most components would be close to the same in their operation.....
http://www.amazon.com/Running-Regal-...8508510&sr=1-3

biggest issue with a 12 ft lathe is getting it perfectly, perfectly level(did I say perfectly level?)
watch the speed

and don't ever leave the chuck wrench in the hole because if you do and start the machine it will throw it at you!!!!!

Go towww.smartflix.com

Go to www.smartflix.com

Sorry

Thanks Everyone: I guess I'll order the book tomorrow and start reading when I get it.
Got all kinds of stuff I what to try out on this thing. Nothing like a new toy? Kurt

12 foot that a big old girl you can do drive shaft s from a shool bus in that one . how much swing do you have ? i have had two smaller lathes.i sold one both very old but still works great. i use it all the time to make parts or tools i can swing 14 but i never do anything that big. i was looking for more swing to do rims and drums .there was one down the road from my shop that must had a 24 face plate :eek: short bed. the guy was closeing his shop. first thing i ask about was his lathe .he said he gave it to his son .i was happy in one way i started to think .if he said yes .how the hell was i going to move it was BIG:LOL:and made back when iron was cheap:D she was all iron and all no tin :3dSMILE:

I would love to see some picture of the lathe. Sound like an incredible tool!!

Hey Kurt, let me know when you get it up and running and learn how to use it. Whenever I need something turned on a lathe, I'll bring it over and we can play. :D

Mike

i am sure there is guys on hear tell you how to get it moving the older lathes are all about the same for feed cross and feed speed just do not move any speed gears on a roll

Ya before I even turn it on I'm gonna do alot of reading.
This way I won't mess anything or myself up.
It might be hard to reach the cut off switch if your at the other end.
Kurt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vara4

it might be hard to reach the cut off switch if your at the other end

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........:lol:

Had a friend that was a machinist and had a long pig tail hair.
One day he came home with a bald spot like me, if you know what
I mean. Kurt

did it grow back:whacked:mine has a flat belt and open gears to get things put in and taken off as well:eek:

Some of it did but not all.
He could not reach the cut off switch.
Kurt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vara4

Some of it did but not all.
He could not reach the cut off switch.
Kurt

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well mine will beat or take off what ever in the way .newer lathe s have a lever or a foot swicth would be better keep both hands free to catch what ever flys out of the chuck or hit the deck:eek:

you will have to get some photos of your new lathe on here Kurt .i still have my Carroll Jamieson flat belt lathe works good .i had a old Hendey that i liked has well but i needed just one so i sold it look like it had a old gear box out of a ford it hang down and you would shift it for your speeds

This is belt driven too Pat. he said it had a 3 phase motor
on it but changed it to a 230/250 motor.
said they used to make drive lines and all kinds of stuff on it.
I was also wrong about the length it's 13ft. not 12 like I thought.
What I am excited about is he said all the tooling comes with it.
Plus he's gonna give me the 3 phase motor he took off it, he said
that works as well, he just was not hooked up for 3 phase in his shop.
Kurt

Pat how big of a mill would I need to do splines on axles? Kurt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vara4

Pat how big of a mill would I need to do splines on axles? Kurt

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you would need a super spacer rotary table and a spline cutter .most splines are rolled you would needed a custom cutter made for the spline to get the right tooth and root to cut them .alot of axles shafts are under size just under the spline so can not be respline just under the spline.they do this as it is part of making the spline .when all said and done i never done any on my mill its $$ to send them out

So I would need two more Machines just to cut the splines?
They don't make a one machine that would do that?
Thanks Kurt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vara4

So I would need two more Machines just to cut the splines?
They don't make a one machine that would do that?
Thanks Kurt

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well it would be tooling for a mill .there is better jobs to use a mill for :3dSMILE:.you will spend more money buying tooling to cut the splines and less your going to do it all the time and have one mill just to spline axles .i done many jobs with my mill nice to have but i never cut my own axles on it . it takes some time to do set up then when done .you take your setup off the mill . then another job comes in and you have another setup moving the head angles .lets say cutting a intake or making header plates .you just have to ask your self how many axles do you want to cut

I'm thinking about narrowing rearends in my spare time.
Then setting them up for drag racing.
I've got to do some more research on it, and I have time to take some classes.
This is what I would like to do, to make a little cash on the side with my son.
I'd also like to invest in a good tig welder too.
Though I have three welders now, I don't have a tig.
I am planning on using the lathe to thread chromoly tubing for doing four link
set up's for the rear ends. I would also like to do my own a arms but still not
sure on how to go about that, but have some ideas.
Kurt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vara4

I'm thinking about narrowing rearends in my spare time.
Then setting them up for drag racing.
I've got to do some more research on it, and I have time to take some classes.
This is what I would like to do, to make a little cash on the side with my son.
I'd also like to invest in a good tig welder too.
Though I have three welders now, I don't have a tig.
I am planning on using the lathe to thread chromoly tubing for doing four link
set up's for the rear ends. I would also like to do my own a arms but still not
sure on how to go about that, but have some ideas.
Kurt

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well i done all what you want to do but spline the axles for racing you better to buy new .from the stand point if one should fail and hurt someone $$$ on the moly tube i do not think you want to thead it your better getting the ends and welding them in .on the TIG yes buy one you will never use a mig welder .abit slower but better welds and over head is nice i would not buy any thing under 250 amps on the tig .there is many thing s you can do on that lathe .when i not cutting a part down or making a tool on my lathe i polish cranks on mine all the time

I 've got a friend that was a certified Cushman motor bike mech.
He restores them for people all over the country and has already asked if he
can use it to turn the cranks.
I said no problem if you don't mind teaching me while your doing it.
So you can say I already have some classes lined up. HE! HE! HE!
He's also a retired Ford mech, and has a degree as a electrical engineer
I send all kind of people over to him to diagnose problems with electrical
stuff in cars. He has not let me down yet and I'm trying to learn as much
as I can from him. He's 75 going on 18 when it comes to cars if you know
what I mean. He's a great guy I hope he hangs around alot longer,
because he's got alot to teach me and he is a great guy. Kurt

Will your lathe run backwards?????

If you want a tig welder, trade your mig in or sell it to someone first---you'll never use it again---I had 3 tig machines, bought a mig for the boys while they were taking some welding classes---used 1 small roll of wire, and sold it without putting the second roll in.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Will your lathe run backwards?????

If you want a tig welder, trade your mig in or sell it to someone first---you'll never use it again---I had 3 tig machines, bought a mig for the boys while they were taking some welding classes---used 1 small roll of wire, and sold it without putting the second roll in.

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yep you are right jerry things are very slow at the shop been thinking real hard about selling my just like new 250X miller mig it is a good welder i did use it some when i welded rad stands up for BE Cool but that is no more. i think i never used more then one big wire spool thru it if that i still have 1/2 a spool.i use the tig for all welding, i like no sparks the damn miller would throw sparks over 15 feet. i allway could use the arc tap s off the tig and drag a 718 rod:D if i want fast

My main welder is a 250 Lincoln Gas Mig, You would have to be a idiot not to be able to weld with it. I could be blind and still throw a good weld with it.
I welded a bar on top of a 4ft. X 4ft. safe that was about a inch thick and the door was at least 4inches thick.
Picked it up with my engine hoist and bent the hoist.
A tow truck come to haul off that old safe and it fell from the back of the truck.
He had a cable hooked on to the bar I had welded on with the mig and caught it,
It bent the bar but the weld stayed intacked, didn't even crack.
I know for the thin stuff it probably gets to hot but for the thicker stuff it lays one heck
of a good weld. I know Tigs are better and look cleaner but I gonna keep my beloved
Gas Mig. Kurt

oh you can weld thick stuff with a tig .i welded some motor mounts for a very big electrical motor s they need to look nice it was 3/4 cold roll steel tig welded it no big deal.yep i here you. i said the same thing about migs i have had over the years .but till you own a tig and use it you will not love your mig so much .with the tig you get a big ac/dc stick welder and i have welded wear steel with my tig in stick mode burning 1/4 arc welding wear steel rod on 4 inch thick die for them big patio paver bricks. i mig for some time and drag some rods to .for very thick steel dirty steel i feel alot better welding with arc rod over mig or it would have to be a very big mig with better then 035 wire and if clean steel tig over it all and less clean up after the job is done:D

Ya I know what your saying I like the clean welds with no hammering or wire brushing.
Kurt

Here's a photo of what my New used Lathe looks like.
This is not my photo just what it looks like.
Hey Pat I know the tig is a better welder.
Thats the only welder I have never used.
I didn't like the mig of the old days but these newer
gas migs are alot better. I see people talking about
cold starts and stuff like that.
But I allways over lap my ends if you know what I mean.
All my welder are 250's I had a old 110 mig for sheet metal
but that thing was messier than a stick welder so I got rid of it.
What would be a decent tig machine for the money,
or what brand do you like. Kurt

i am selling my 250 miller on e bay right now see if she sells .on my tig i have had two both over 250 amps one very old tig round wave machine .the one i have now is a 275lincoln both machines work about the same the new one has more fine controll but i could weld just as good with both .yep thats one thing i never like about the smaller migs cold start s my snap on would do it some times i ground out the end of the weld if i was starting up the weld back up.i never had that happen with my miller i used 035 wire and could cut 1/4 plate in 1/2 with that machine had good power.still with a tig you can sit in one spot as long as you want before you add filler if any at all .on headers i wound use very little filler rod or no filler .hard to do that with a mig .but if speed is the deal and good prep mig work good .for body work there are about the best .i did use to gas weld sheet metal many years ago i would not what to go back to them days

Vara4, take a minute and check out Lindsey Books. Just Google it, it will come up. They have a lot of info and old machinery reprints on lathes, milling machines, scrapers and everything else. I've been buying books from them them now for 10 years or more. Request a catalog, the online site is just a sample of what they have. Always been good to deal with. Sniper

Boy that looks just like my old Atlas 48" sorry now that I sold it, seems every time I turn around I could use it.

Thanks everyone for your input; Sniper I have to check them out.
I picked up the book that Techinspector reccomended, had to buy it used because there out of publication or they stoped printing them. But I got a copy that looked brand new anyway for about $14 dollers. So thanks Tech. Got the lathe to my shop now
and it need a good cleaning up so before I run it, I'm gonna change the oil in the gears and oil all the differant bearings on it. And there are a bunch of them.
Before I paid they guy for the machine, I had him run it at his place and put it through all the gears and it ran fine. He said he had not used it in over ten years since he closed his business. So it has some surface rust on the rails and other parts from the Florida humidity and sitting so long. Just needs a good cleaning up, then me and some buddie will give her a good trial run. The one thing it is missing is a steady rest for the long stuff so I have to try to find one or make one to work on the long stuff like drive lines and other long things that might come up. Kurt

Thanks Tech for your help.
I started trying to clean ten years of grime off the Lathe today.
What a mess, not really sure what to use on it that won't hurt it
but will clean it up. I oiled everything with out cleaning it just to try to
wash some of the dirt out. there is surface rust all over it
and I've got one handle that will not turn, I,ve been trying to figure out
if there is so kind of a lock on it or is it just froze up.
Its the cross feed handle if you know anything about them. Kurt

Well nothing like answering my own post but I'm getting good at it HE! HE!
The guy I bought this Lathe from said it had not been used for some years since he closed his business. Even when it did work, I don't think anyone ever cleaned it.
And two handles that would not turn were just gummed up with really old grease,
that and the weight of the pieces that slide down the rail would not allow them to do so. It has some good safety modifacations, but then regular maintance was ignored.
I am hopeing to get out there with my buddy and get it all cleaned up this week.
I don't think the fluid in the trany has been changed since the 50's which is 20 wt. motor oil, the big plate has to come off the side of that too. The gasget is shot and is dripping oil on the electric motor down below. Maybe the engineer was just trying to keep the motor lubricated. HE! HE! Kurt